Gloves come off as rivals seek knockout blow

Karori captain Simon Baker has a grudging respect for Eastern Suburbs skipper Lance Dry and his club's remarkable streak of nine straight Pearce Cup titles.

But after letting a few deliveries through to the keeper, he starts to loosen up and play a few shots.

"I read some bollocks from Lance a couple of years ago comparing himself to Lance Armstrong and Man United and all this sort of stuff, saying how great their club was and that it was a world achievement, which I didn't quite agree with," Baker said ahead of the Wellington club final starting today at the Basin Reserve.

Can I use all that in the paper, Simon?

"Yeah, go for it."

We've been here before.

Last season Karori also went into the decider as top qualifiers, needing only a draw to wrest the prized cup away from Easts.

Result? Embarrassingly rolled for 67 and 70 as a Ricky Joseph-inspired Easts took just a day and a session to win by eight wickets.

So are there any demons from last year?

"No, not really, it's just another game," Baker said, with what sounded like a straight face.

"I haven't really thought about last year."

Baker claimed all the pressure was on Easts, given it is rather unlikely they will get another shot at a decade of dominance.

"If they lose this one, what are they going to say to themselves next year? `Right, another nine in a row and we get another crack?' 10 would be huge so the pressure's on them."

Karori will be without the services of their three Firebirds – Andy McKay, Stephen Murdoch and Harry Boam – and are likely to play off-spinner Jules Balasingam, who has spent most of the season in the Hazlett Trophy.

In the other corner, Dry is claiming the underdogs tag, given the need to win outright. But the wily old campaigner admits that position also helps sharpen their tactical approach.

Aggressively.

"Yeah, you know how you need to play," Dry said. "Obviously everything you're doing is with a view to winning and sometimes in their situation, you can get stuck in two minds. Whether you need to push hard or sit back, you can come unstuck in that respect."

Given he's already done this nine times it's no shock when Dry says he no longer gets nervous.

But both teams are excited about a rare chance to grace the Basin, and Dry is licking his lips at the prospect of plenty of chatter in the middle.

"I hope so. Both teams will be desperate to win so I'm sure there will be no stone left unturned."

HOW THEY LINE UP

What: Pearce Cup final
Where: Basin Reserve
When: Today-Monday (11am start today, 10am start tomorrow and Monday)

Karori: Simon Baker (c), Neil Martin, Marc Ellison, Chris Spring, Hamish Templeton, Tom Blundell, Lee Edwards, Jules Balasingam, Jarred Sewell, Fraser Quarterman, Charles Gallagher, Stefan Allan

Eastern Suburbs: Lance Dry (c), Ben Orton, Niranjan Naguleswaran, Sam McLauchlan, Chamika Gajanayaka, Jeremy Dean, Scott Golder, Josh McLauchlan, David Holt, Ricky Joseph, Nathan Cameron, Jamie Gibson

- © Fairfax NZ News